Infusion systems are known in the art and these systems include a fluid reservoir, a pump for pumping fluid from the fluid reservoir to the patient, and a tubing from the fluid reservoir to the pump and from the pump to the patient for transporting the fluid. Typically the fluid reservoir is a flexible bag made from a polymeric material or a syringe, and the pump is an infusion-style pump designed to deliver a premeasured fluid drug dose at a given rate to the patient in need of the drug.
U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 08/145,371 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,561 and 08/388,200 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,119 disclose enclosure arrangements designed to protect fluid reservoirs, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference. These enclosure arrangements include a chamber for receiving a fluid reservoir such as a flexible bag or a syringe. The enclosures each include an opening for accessing the chamber. The enclosures each further include a latch arrangement for mounting an ambulatory pump to the enclosure to protect the reservoir and tubing.
These enclosures have a number of advantages as enumerated in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 08/145,371 and 08/388,200. For example, flexible fluid reservoirs prepared from polymeric materials are capable of being punctured or torn by sharp objects. This can be a problem for patients who use the pumps outside the hospital or caregiver's office. This creates a particular problem when the fluid contained within the reservoir is irritating to the skin or where the fluid contains a controlled substance. Where the fluid contained within the reservoir is a controlled substance, such as a narcotic, the enclosures prevent the controlled substance from being withdrawn from the bag by a needle punctured through the polymeric material or the tubing.
Where the fluid reservoir is a syringe, the enclosures protect the syringe from manipulation and protects the tubing from the stresses that could be applied to it if the syringe and its tubing where open and readily available for manipulation. Access to the tubing upstream from the pump is not allowed; thus, preventing unauthorized withdrawal of the fluid, such as with a needle in the case of a controlled substance. The enclosures described in the above referenced applications are easy to use, provide protection to the reservoir and are neither bulky nor awkward to use.
There is a desire to use the enclosures discussed herein with a variety of sizes of pumps. As is recognized in the art, ambulatory pumps are expensive to produce and to purchase. Hospitals, physicians and managed care providers are not always able to purchase the pump specifically designed to associate with a given enclosure. Yet, there is an increasing need to move toward a pump/enclosure arrangement particularly where the patient is not under constant supervision by medical personnel. The adaptors and methods of the present invention are designed to provide an inexpensive alternative to the purchase of matched pump/enclosure systems.